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Failing to read the room and adjust our communication to others is a rampant problem in many if not most workplaces--whether we're too distracted or hurried, or too "busy." Even if you're the smartest most capable person in the world, if you can't read the room, you're going to fall down, time after time, because you lose the people around you.
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You want to give a struggling or difficult employee the right chances to turn things around. Yet when the wish or hope for change keeps them around for too long, it does more harm than good. Holding on to the wrong people means risking losing the right ones. Here's why, and what you can do about it.
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You take yourself to the gym ... so why not strengthen your leadership "muscles" too? Here are 15 exercises to help you do just that in the year ahead. It's a quick read, and worthwhile to go for it!
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The data are overwhelming that professionals are rewarded more on confidence and appearance than substance. Whether we’ve been bedazzled in the interview process and hired a dud, or seen someone with plenty of swagger fail their way to top jobs, it’s worth noticing and addressing confidence-bias in ourselves and others.
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Every time I start coaching someone, I interview 8-12 of their colleagues. They list for me real-life strengths and development areas. Over 10 years, I've collected thousands, and recently analyzed them to look for common themes. 52 leadership strengths appeared repeatedly, and they fell nicely in 4 themes
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Building executive presence (EP) is a hot topic. A dash of swagger when face to face are crucial; but how do you demonstrate EP on email? EP-busting email habits are rampant, according to my experience as an executive coach. With a few simple practices, and breaking a few habits, you can use email as an instrument of greater influence.
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We all have good intentions to take important yet difficult actions. We aren’t intentionally avoiding them, yet we let ourselves off the hook too often. Here are coaching tips to stop delaying and take action!
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The stronger your relationships with your team, within the boundaries of professionalism, consistency and fairness, the more innovative, creative, and truly outstanding results you can achieve together.
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Feelings of fraud are common even among the greatest leaders, and are actually signs of diligence. So unlike other developmental issues that may linger for an entire career, the fraud misconception is resolved by turning that diligence toward the practices I've described here.
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Leaders who make choices or avoid decisions primarily to please others are being validated constantly from positive reactions and popularity. Yet ultimately, that will turn negative when the burden of being likable turns to anger, or simply leads an organization off the rails.
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From Lance Armstrong to the IRS, 2013 has so far been rich with lessons to be learned from leadership failures. We get at least as many ideas about good leadership from failures as we do from successes, so these five should be instructive: 1. Innovate First for a Greater Good The example: Pfizer, for devoting billions of dollars to develop...
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More seasoned executives than one might think get in the bad habit of self-marginalizing. In fact, your value doesn’t vary based on who else is in the room, no matter how amazing or awesome they may be. The only thing that limits the value you bring to any conversation is the choices you make about participating. When you choose to devalue yourself -- either consciously or unconsciously -- in comparison to someone else in the room, because you feel in awe of them, or less than them, you will of course shut down and stop short of giving your best.
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If you don’t check your blind spot for your own blend of these seven strengths-become-weaknesses, you’ll be falling short of taking your A-game to the field every day, so why not give it a try?
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The subjectivity of change bias and the three ingredients for sustainable change. In my line of work, I’m often asked whether people can TRULY change. The short answer is: yes. The longer answer is: yes and it takes three ingredients. Before we look at these key ingredients, it’s important you watch out for your own bias. Essentially, sad but true,...
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“Why do I need to worry about my people’s feelings? Why don’t they automatically just FEEL like doing their best? They’re lucky they have a job! Am I there to coddle them?” These are bottom line beliefs and questions among my executive clients who tend to be more task / directive / deadline-driven. Some are thinking these things mainly when...
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The outcome you achieve after facing a challenging situation—for better or worse—is limited by your assumptions or “story” going into it. In fact, walking into almost any potentially difficult conversation, our understanding is at best incomplete, no matter how much forethought we’ve given it. It’s human nature to prepare for what may be difficult, particularly if we are under normal...
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Like those with power in war, politics, religion, and even charities and greater-good enterprises, business leaders share the strong human need to preserve things as they are … to tinker rather than transform. Building modestly on what is, jiggering with it, making small corrections—preserving the status quo no matter what, either deliberately or non-consciously, is the object of our desire....
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Far too many leaders and managers inadvertently do things every day that send the message they distrust even their best people. Sapping people’s trust is de-motivating, and de-motivated people simply don’t do their best work. I’m not suggesting your role is to motivate your people, but it’s critical NOT to de-motive them. Eliminating inadvertent behaviors that say, “I don’t trust...
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If you’re like most people at work, you probably wish you spent less time in meetings. I remember as a COO, my colleagues and I used to estimate the cost per minute of the aggregate salaries around the table in “leadership team meetings” and wish we could spend the money on something more worthwhile. Yet search the web for “effective...
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Many leaders chalk up their success in part due to perfectionism, to which I say it's "despite it" rather than "because" of it. Perfectionism comes at a steep price -- here are three ways to manage its side-effects.
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Is someone on your team operating with fear overload? Let’s face it: “job security” is now officially an oxymoron. As I work with leaders, I see some people thriving in the less secure work world. The majority, however, are dealing with elevated levels of fear, which at times can get in the way of doing their best work. That in...
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A very senior client got feedback recently that he should be "more directive" with his people--in fact, to tell them what to do and how to do it more frequently. When contacted for clarification, that person was unavailable because they were too busy. Of course they are. Let's go with that notion. Why not be VERY directive? Because: 1. You...
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Those who take on the weight of the world, yet who constantly find their own efforts lacking, are more prevalent than one might think. One such executive told me, “It’s like I’ve got a ton of bricks on my shoulders,” and the weight keeps being added as issues and needs arise around them ... "I get totally exhausted." It’s a...
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Aspiring to “win” works for elections and athletic events, but not for leadership. The language you use as a leader impacts everything about your organization. The "winner/loser" approach means MY goals are accomplished at YOUR expense. In a simpler world perhaps that made a great deal of sense. These days, we need each other more often than not. So “achieving”...
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Some “experts” go around saying failure’s great. After all, they repeatedly mention, Edison had 999 failed filaments before the one that illuminated the first light bulb. Let's not kid ourselves: failing professionally sucks, particularly during trying times. As most of us are NOT Thomas Edison, the 10th or so filament might in fact be career limiting / bending / ending,...
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I ask leaders: how can you be of service to your people and your bottom line at the same time, rather than serving one at the expense of the other? It gets the leadership juices flowing. In contrast, “Hit your targets or you’re out,” which I’ve seen more frequently recently, sacrifices those you lead for results. If this weed-out-the-weaklings way...
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It’s a common belief among high achievers that they are not as smart, talented, or capable as people think they are--something they see themselves as managing to hide from others. It’s been identified in popular psychology as the “Imposter Syndrome.” When I was newly-promoted to Senior Vice President at Charles Schwab, Dan Limon, then our EVP of Corporate Strategy, gave...
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Speak the language of leadership--for example, if you tend to say "Help me understand...," then consider that the recipient of this "question" will probably hear it as criticism. They hear you saying: "you don't get it," or "you're wrong," or "I disagree," or "you're slow." Another variation is: "I'm not smart enough to understand..." (whatever you are saying, proposing, analyzing,...
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“How can my organization be even more effective?" It's a great question from my clients, and one answered first and foremost as an “inside job”—that is, I suggest and help the executive to look at their own leadership choices in 10 practical areas and identify opportunities for improvement. Thinking about your own leadership and organization, how about giving it a...
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The leader’s innovation challenge is how to make major changes produce pragmatic results. So much is written about "innovation" that I think misses the mark on actually innovating. There are way more “great ideas” than can be done, but not enough leaders capable or willing enough to do them. Leaders and their organizations are used to being and doing things...
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Life in general, and the workplace in particular, seem designed some days to test our ability to deal with frustration--our own, and that of others. It takes awareness and skill to behave well—rather than react—when facing a frustrating/angering person or situation. Since there’s no shortage of these, it’s well worth it for a leader to develop strong mental muscles for...
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Wondering what your colleagues are thinking about you lately? What’s the buzz on you at exec team or board meetings? Good. Go for it—it’s important to understand how others view us. Not to pretend or try and manage it, but in order to develop ourselves, and to care for the impact we have on others. So go ahead, glimpse yourself...
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Perhaps this is an awkward topic for some, but the way you dress and groom shouldn't be a factor in how you're evaluated or perceived as a leader. By that I DON'T mean let your fun or freak flag fly--I mean, don't dress yourself as a distraction. Things are more complicated today--when and how to be formal, casual, in between,...
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Saying "I know" doesn't reflect understanding or knowledge—it says "My ego has an issue with what I know or don’t know." I can’t think of a good reason for a leader EVER to say it. Even at its best, it’s not smart and/or cool-nerdy and/or charming. It’s distancing, distracting, and ultimately shuts down the other(s) in conversation with you, none...
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It’s clear that a controlling personality and the willingness to delegate tend to work against each other. As a young COO, I wanted to do too much myself, and that marginalized my own value, and that of my people. I knew it, but at the time, didn’t know what to do about it. These days, in my work with executive...
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“…and he’s always late to meetings…” During a 360-evaluation on an exec or leader, I hear this complaint regularly. I ask the client: “What gets in the way of being on time?” It usually boils down to good intentions: s/he is overbooked with important meetings, trying to do too much in between, etc. And they get used to being late,...
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It’s not uncommon for an executive to compare themselves to the level of accomplishment, authority, or pay-grade of others around them, and self-discount accordingly. Yet despite what they may think, their value to the organization is constant. One C-level executive put it well. She said, “When so-and-so is in the room, I tend to be more deferential and careful about...
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What's one to do? Everyone has a story of a nightmare boss. Why? Because overly critical people are in positions of authority with surprising frequency, and tend to be, well, memorable. They can be hurtful, insulting, angry, disapproving, intolerant, abusive—or any combination thereof. People who work around them are often stressed out or shut down, operating in coping mode—avoiding touchy...
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“I know I need to …” indicates a well-meaning person who’s not yet ready to resolve an issue or problem. For example: "I know I tend to be the bottleneck in the process, and need to be more timely about my work." "I know I need to do more relationship-building in the organization." "I know I need to delegate more,...
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Leadership requires the discipline to claim responsibility when something goes wrong. It may be daunting, but it’s necessary—it propels those affected by the problem from confusion to solution, enabling the right actions to be taken. Concerns about saving face, job security, and/or institutional liability are no foundation for leadership. In fact, the longer you delay, the more collateral damage you...
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Seasoned professionals described as analytical, cautious, or humble may plateau before delivering on their full potential as leaders. It’s avoidable, if the problem is not one of smarts or capability, but of missing a bit of swagger. Keeping too much to yourself, being too cautious or deferential, or talking about too many nuts and bolts when a blueprint will suffice...
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Venturing into new and risky territory is great for all of us, and a necessity for leaders. Yet being bold and daring is increasingly absent, particularly among established executives and organizations. If your decisions are based too heavily on the need to manage risk, then risk is actually managing you. Everyone fails from time to time. If that’s the worst...
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We all worry about the future at times, and leaders are no exception. Some even hang onto it, believing it to be an effective motivator. Yet the positive results you achieve are in spite of—not because of—the strain and stress of your worries. When you notice yourself doing it, call it for what it is: counterproductive, nagging, self-inflicted negativity about...
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Daily demands create a tidal pull toward “doing” versus leading—tasks and challenges tempt us to jump in and fix, suggest, organize, manage, etc., “in the interest of time.” Yet every minute you’re driving the day-to-day is one minute with your eyes off the road ahead. Over time, this pattern hinders your ability to guide your people toward the future vision...
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What can we learn from our friends at Goldman Sachs? Are they ready to have an epiphany, face their bad acts, and recover? Is Sen. Carl Levin’s committee likely to help propel them toward healing? Okay, well, no and no. Yet maybe we should toast Goldman Sachs anyway. Give them a wink, and tell them we’re here for them whenever...
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